Fourteen years ago, on the banks of Craving’s Creek, Ryde swore to his best friend Alistair he’d never be alone in the world. Though Alistair was destined for the priesthood, there was something beyond holy about the first kiss they shared. But a fun camping trip went horribly wrong when Alistair was involved in a horrific incident. Now, at age thirty-one, Ryde’s life is a mess of alcohol and the painful imprint of his last look into Alistair’s desperate eyes. Since the evil they encountered on that shore, his first love has been lost to him ... until he learns a friend’s wedding is to be officiated by a priest named Father Alistair Genet. Amid the rush of emotions, one thought crystallizes: Ryde’s love for Alistair has never died. It’s stronger than ever. But can it win over the repressed memories slowly tearing Alistair’s mind apart?

Craving's Creek

The church is empty. I stand and carefully make my way through the rows, into the aisle. Standing there, I lift my bottle to Christ on the cross. Christ the sufferer. Christ the martyr. I cry out to him. “Think you saved us?” I stare at Jesus’s face, waiting for a sign. May I be struck down for my blasphemous words. May I be killed right here, right now. Put me out of my misery. “What?” I shout defiantly. “What? Huh? What?”


Nothing happens. I wasn’t worth a sermon back then, and I’m not worth a thunderbolt today. I sniff and look around the church. I step back to the doors, keeping my eyes on the altar. At my right, there’s the holy water basin. I think of the creek. I think of Alistair’s white body falling off a cliff. I hesitate, but a hot rage fills me and I pour the rest of my vodka into the basin.


Chapter 38